Everyone got off the bus, and Lizzie and Miranda looked around for where they were supposed to go.
Gordo, who had told them in a letter that he was on a different bus this year than them, was standing over by some benches. He spotted Lizzie and Miranda. Smiling, and a bit nervous himself (And maybe not just about school), he waved to the girls.
"Hi Gordo!" Lizzie said when she and Miranda had walked over to him.
Toon Lizzie: Yes! A familiar face!
She looked at him, and thought to herself that he looked a little bit taller, his hair was a little longer, and his voice a bit deeper than what she'd remembered.
Gordo had been away all summer at video camp, so Lizzie had only seen him once on a small picture of himself and some others guys at the camp that he'd sent in the mail.
Gordo was also thinking that Lizzie looked a little older. His heart was beating fast. "So... uh... how did your summer go?"
"Pretty good." Lizzie replied. "We went to the fair this year. We took these pictures at a photo booth." She told Gordo, showing him a page of a scrapbook she'd made.
Gordo smiled, seeing that in the picture the girls were eating curly fries, just for him. "Those are great! Mind if I look at the rest of the scrapbook?"
"Go ahead!" Miranda said, handing it to him. Just then, the first bell rang. Miranda took it back. "I bring it to lunch." She told Gordo.
They all went inside the school, Gordo sneaking a look at Lizzie every now and then. Why do I keep doing that? He asked himself on the fourth look. She thinks of me as a best friend. Not Gordo, the cute guy who she wants to go out with...
"Gordo! Pay attention!" Lizzie said, bringing him back to reality.
"Huh?" He said.
"They want everyone to go to the gym so they can give tell us which classes we're in." Miranda explained to him.
"Oh." Gordo replied. He hadn't really thought of the possibility that they wouldn't all be in the same classes.
On their way over to the gym, Lizzie finally saw someone else from her old school. "Miranda!" She whispered quickly. "Look, it's Ethan!"
Gordo groaned disappointedly under his breath. I would have thought he would failed last year! He got like, D's on almost everything! He reluctantly walked over to Ethan with Lizzie and Miranda. He looked down at the ground.
"Ladies!" Ethan exclaimed, his hair looking even better than it did last year. He smoothed it back.
"Hi... Ethan!" Miranda said nervously. "How was... uh... your summer?"
"It was great. I went water skiing... but then I fell off. Or did I go jet skiing? I get those mixed up..." Ethan said.
Lizzie started to say something but was interrupted by a voice. She almost expected it to be Kate trying to interrupt their time with Ethan. But when she turned around, she saw a tall man with a nametag that clearly stated he was the principal.
"Move it people! Into the gym!" He said in a tough voice. "We haven't got all day!" Lizzie nodded embarrassedly, and her, Miranda, and Gordo walked quickly to the gym.
Ethan was still standing there looking confused. Lizzie felt sorry for him.
Gordo saw Lizzie looking back at Ethan, and wanted to get her attention on something else. So while they walked, he tried telling her about video camp. He even added that he wished she were there, too (and also added Miranda to that so she wouldn't feel slided), in hopes that she would say she wished that she had been there with him.
Toon Lizzie: I know Gordo wants to chat about his video camp now, but can't he tell that my mind is on this new school right now? I mean, Miranda and I have never been here before. It's hard to concentrate on him talking about his "next big thing"!
So Lizzie just smiled, and opened the door to the gym when they got there.
Gordo sighed disappointedly. Why do I even try? She's just going to keep falling for Ethan, especially now that Kate isn't here. Gordo thought to himself.
Kate had told Lizzie in a snobby E-mail that she was going to a "richer, better school" this year, just to try and make her jealous.
Gordo sneaked another look at Lizzie. She was looking around for a place to sit among the metal chairs that were all spread out.
"Over here!" Lizzie motioned for him and Miranda to come over to three empty seats. Lizzie sat down in the middle of them, so Gordo got to sit next to Lizzie.
Her eyes are so beautiful. Gordo thought. Lizzie looked at him.
"What's with the staring? Do I have something on my face?" Lizzie asked, worried. Gordo quickly shook his head.
"Oh! Uh... no. It's nothing!" He said, and tried to focus, on the principal, who was now walking up onto the stage and started talking into the microphone. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.
Toon Lizzie: Why is Gordo acting so jittery? Miranda and I have the right to, but he's been here before! He knows what it's like!
The principal tapped the microphone. "Is this thing on?" Squealing from the microphone filled the room. Everyone covered their ears. Finally it stopped. "Sorry about that." The principal said. "I'm Principal Silvertune. Welcome to East Coast High school. Now I'm the kind of guy who likes to get right to the point. So let's see who's in what class!" He said, as if this moment was exciting.
Miranda squirmed in her seat. "Lizzie, I need to go to the bathroom!"
"So go!" Lizzie exclaimed.
"But he's right in the middle of his announcements! I can't!" Miranda protested. Lizzie sighed.
Toon Lizzie: Leave it Miranda to always have to go when something important was going on, just like that time Gordo was dating Brooke!
"Look, I'll write down what classes he says you're in if you miss it. Then I'll just give you the paper when you come back!" Lizzie whispered, and got out a pen and a sheet of paper from her blue bubble backpack.
Miranda thanked her, and scurried out of the room. This left Gordo and Lizzie alone. Lizzie thought nothing of it, but Gordo was wishing that they were together like this at the movies instead of at school.
He started daydreaming. Sitting in the movies, eating popcorn while watching a romantic story about...
"Pay attention, Gordo! They're about to come to your name!" Lizzie whispered. Gordo's head snapped up.
"What? Oh!" He blinked a few times, and focused on Principal Silvertune.
"Gordon, David: Arithmetic, Ms. Wesler. English, Mr. Kibler. Biology, Mr. Chambers. Health, Mrs. Mahoney. And History, Ms. Pasquarello." Principal Silvertune announced.
"I don't know who they are, but they sound like okay teachers." Gordo commented to Lizzie. Lizzie nodded.
A minute later Miranda rushed back into the room and sat back down in her seat. "Who did I miss?" She whispered.
"Just Gordo. They're on the last names that start with 'H' now." Lizzie told her.
'Just Gordo'? How's that for appreciation? Gordo thought with a frown.
After what seemed like forever, P.S. (Principal Silvertune) called out the last names that started with an 'M'. Mcgregor...Mcguffie... finally! McGuire! "Mcguire, Lizzie:" Gordo watched in anticipation. What if she was only a few of his classes? Or worse, in none of them?